Entertainment

Adult One Direction Fans Share the Story of Their Lives

In the wilds of One Direction fandom, a rare creature lurks — adult Directioners.

Yes, One Direction typically appeals to a younger crowd. Anyone over the age of 20 professing their love of Harry, Liam, Niall, Louis and Zayn confront looks of confusion. Or worse, the patronizing head nod.

Amongst the throngs of screaming, selfie-snapping, braces-faced teens, two brave adults lead a movement towards acceptance of older fans jamming to "Story of My Life" and debating the group's hair style evolution. Comedians D’Arcy Carden and Brandon Scott Jones proudly, even fiercely, count themselves within the adults boarding the One Direction bandwagon.

Carden first uncovered her fondness for the British boy band in April 2012 when One Direction made their Saturday Night Live debut. Carden's husband worked for the show and as a perk, she could watch the musical guests live.

“Even if I didn’t really know the band, I would always go watch … But I didn’t do that for 1D.” Carden says. Instead, she stayed in the writers' room and watched along with others who had gathered to see what the music industry was fussing about. When the harmonies started, her indifference disappeared.

“I remember thinking, ‘Oh look at that shy, awkward one. No one will like him, but I will.’” She was talking about Harry Styles.

Later that week, Carden bumped into Jones while heading to the Upright Citizen’s Brigade Theatre, a comedy venue they both perform at regularly in New York City and Los Angeles. Small talk led the pair to discover they had same thing dominating their playlists: One Direction.

Though the best friends had never discussed the band, they'd each spent time jamming to the same songs and poking around the Internet for information on the group. So instead of prepping for their show that night, Carden and Jones sat in the audience sharing earbuds and discussing the talented boys.

With their own experience in performance and comedy, they also analyzed each member's sense of humor, ranking the funniest ("Liam is getting there...") and how that factors into their appreciation of the music. Or as Carden puts it, "We wouldn’t give a sh*t about them if they didn’t have the best personalities.”

But the stigma of adults enjoying "teen" music does make for awkward moments.

“It’s weird having a husband,” Carden admits, laughing. “I try to limit my talk about the band. For every thousand thoughts I have, I’ll only tell him one.”

The friends later encountered another challenge when they agreed to appear on a one-off game show against a pair of teen super-fans. They expected a bit of silly fun, but it quickly turned uncomfortable — mostly due to the tight onesie outfits supplied by the show.

They literally didn’t fit in. But that's the mindset Carden, Jones and other adult fans want to change.

"It is such a point of happiness in my life. Uncomfortable and embarrassing for awhile? Yes." D'Arcy says. "But, if you spent half as much time as we did, you would love it too!"

And being an adult fan of the group comes with advantages. Like friendships with SNL writers who invited the besties backstage when One Direction returned to the late-night show in December. They didn't expect much, but things worked out in an is-this-real-life way when the pair were tapped to play security guards in a sketch with the group.

"I remember them like beautiful pieces of artwork," Jones explains with a look of awe. Carden adds, "They are different from normal humans."

After the live show, Carden and Jones ran into Harry Styles and gushed about the group's performance of "Through the Dark." In response, the heartthrob took their hands and earnestly thanked them for the compliment. Not usually the starstruck type, Styles' charm and presence affected them so profoundly that the duo could barely speak for the 30 minutes.

When talking months after the incident, their eyes still gleam with joy while discussing the perfect moment.

And though most adults won't have the same luck as Carden and Jones, think of them as eternal tween ambassadors, paving the way for adults quietly rocking out to "Rock Me."

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